Deadlines, Dixons and The Farmer's Daughter
by Jake's Chew Toy
Summary: Not ZA based. Just an idea that popped into my head. Daryl decides to go back to school and meets Beth in class. They get off to a rocky start but have to find a way to work together if they both want to pass the class. I will be including as many characters as I can. Bethyl
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Totally not sure where this story is going. Just a thought that popped into my head and I'm running with it. Let me know if there's potential here. First thing I've posted in years. I have an entire summer void of school interruptions and as such I hope to be able to write more. I do NOT own The Walking Dead or any of the characters but if I did I'd make Daryl do things that would make Christian Grey blush! hehe.**

 **Enjoy!**

"The One Where They Met At School"

 _Why you wanna spend ya damn time in a class? You know you ain't never gonna be smart. Ya ain't worth nothin little brother. You better off quittin now._

Daryl sat in the back of the classroom chewing on his thumb as students filed in one after the other. He knew he was the oldest one in the class but he didn't realize just how old until he saw the others arriving. He wanted to flee before class even started and hearing Merle's voice like a damn broken record sure wasn't helping his mood.

He kept his head down with his hair falling into his eyes as he shifted his view from the desk in front of him to the door to his left. He was wondering if it was too late to just get up and leave the room. As much as he was uncomfortable he knew he had to do this. He had to take this class to fulfill the general education requirement for his certification is business management.

He spent the last five years working his way up the chain at a local mechanic shop but he was finally at the last rung of the ladder. His boss told him he needed to take a few business classes before he could promote him further. He didn't even really care about being promoted but he was ultimately backed into a corner by his boss. Jackass said he either took the classes or he'd have to find someone else who would. Daryl knew he wasn't truly a jackass but he still didn't think it was fair to be pushed into something he wasn't comfortable with.

In the end, Daryl agreed to take the classes because he was tired of others looking down on him. They just saw some old, dirty redneck who was simple. Truth was that Daryl just liked to live a quiet kind of life where he didn't have to think of anyone but himself or put up with the dramatics others tended to bring around. He had enough of that dealing with Merle.

Merle. No sooner was the dumbass released from a cell he was back up to his old tricks. Loose women, drugs, drinks and violence. Last time he saw Merle was when he'd gotten a call from Bob the Bartender in town that Merle was causing trouble as usual and Daryl had to go down and put a stop to it. After dragging his very intoxicated brother out of the bar the two brothers ended up arguing about Daryl driving them home. Merle swung out with a hard right hook knocking Daryl to the ground. By the time Daryl got back to his feet Merle was on his bike heading towards the highway. That was a year ago.

A year had passed without a single word from his brother. The only blood relative he had and he just abandoned him. Daryl wouldn't say he missed Merle but he wouldn't mind hearing that he was at least okay. Not like he was expecting some happy family reunion between the two but a cold beer between brothers would have been nice time from time.

Instead, Daryl focused on work. He went to work early and he stayed late. He read nearly every book in the office on how to fix just about any car related problem that would come into the shop. He even managed to strike up a friendship of sorts with his boss Dale. With Merle gone Daryl actually felt relieved that he was able to accomplish so much. Then he felt disgusted with himself for feeling grateful for his brother's absence.

Snapping out of his thoughts Daryl looked up in time to see the instructor make his way to the front of the class. He seemed to be a bit on the pudgier side, a bit nerdy looking and sporting a mullet. Daryl snorted at that one. How many teachers did you normally see rocking a mullet? None.

A class syllabus was being handed out to go over the student learning objectives for the upcoming semester. As they were going over it Daryl scribbled notes so he knew what exactly they would need to understand. Just as they were informed by Eugene the professor on the importance of partnering up with a fellow student for success in the class, the squeaking of the door's hinges brought every head in the entire class to turn around to see the new addition. Except Daryl.

He was too busy trying to write down the last bit of information to pay attention to a squeaky door. The class was already filled to the brim with students and as a result there were only a limited number of seats left. Actually, there was only one seat left. The seat directly adjacent to Daryl's.

When Eugene continued his monologue about the syllabus Daryl refocused his attention to the front of the class. Until a whisper broke his concentration.

"Excuse me. Do you mind if we share?"

A pretty, blonde girl was sitting in the chair to his left and smiling politely at him. He was caught completely off guard. Normally, people didn't tend to sit by Daryl. They thought he was dangerous or scary and wanted to be as far away as possible from him. Seeing such an innocent looking face with ocean blue eyes staring at him with an unknown warmth left Daryl at a loss for words.

He couldn't help himself from looking her over. She had lean legs, natural curves, soft pink cheeks, deep blue eyes and blonde hair. You could tell she was a natural blonde though. None of that bottled or bleach blonde most of the other girls on the campus seemed to favor. Daryl never could understand why women felt the need to falsify their natural looks. He preferred when girls looked natural. Not like Merle who liked overly make-up wearing, fake breasted, dye job generic Barbie doll girls.

The silence seemed to stretch between the time the girl asked him a question to the time it seemed like it took for him to answer. He simply nodded and hummed an affirmation. She smiled more at him and then leaned over her desk towards him to get a better look at the paper. From this angle Daryl could just see the outline of the girl's breasts. She was wearing a medium cut v-neck shirt but the action of leaning over seemed to propel her chest toward Daryl.

 _Look at that baby brother. She doesn't even know your name and she's already asking for it. Practically out on a damn platter for ya._

Daryl shook his head to rid himself of Merle's voice. The class continued with little more thought to the girl sitting next to him until the professor called for a ten minute break midway through the class. Most of the students got up and practically ran from the classroom. Couldn't blame them, Eugene was a bit of a dull instructor.

"Thank you for sharing with me. I'm not usually late to class, especially on the first day but my last class is practically across campus and I got lost trying to get here… Anyway, thanks."

The blonde was thanking him? She was speaking to him but not _at_ him. It was different. Good but different. Not many people talked to him. Not even Merle. With Merle you get talked at or you get talked down to.

"S'okay." He said in response, shrugging one shoulder. He peaked at her from beneath the fringe of his hair to see what she was doing. Apparently, she thought watching him silently was more interesting than anything else in the area.

"I'm Beth." _Beth_. _A sweet name for a sweet girl._ Daryl frowned at the thoughts of the blonde. He didn't need to keep talking to her. She was probably some rich bitch anyway. Talking to her would only lead to accusations, betrayal or pain in the end anyway. He once again returned his attention back to his paper. He never responded to the gesture she made with her name but he felt like he was screwed either way. His suspicions were confirmed minutes later after Eugene walked back in.

"Alright. Now that we all have a general idea of what we'll be working on this semester I'd like you to partner up with the person next to you and exchange information. It's important to know that your grades result in partnership cooperation. The better you work together the better your grade will be."

 _Fuck!_ Daryl thought. This was going to be a long semester. He hated working with others. Especially if they were vapid sorority girls. Turning in his seat a little Daryl saw Beth looking back at him with defiance in her posture. She held out her hand towards him.

"Guess we're in this together, huh?" Daryl grunted in acknowledgement.

"I'm Beth." She said again still holding out her hand in a challenge.

Daryl wiped his hand on his pants before sticking his out to shake her waiting one.

"Daryl." He said as they shook. The small release of air from her seemed to go unnoticed by Daryl. He was too concerned with way his heart seemed to be trying to escape from his chest.


	2. Chapter 2

"So, do you wanna maybe get together sometime? We could get some food. Or get some drinks. Or study maybe!?" Beth was struggling to keep up with Daryl's pace as his long strides took him away from the class. Arms filled with papers, shouldering a heavy bag and carrying an empty coffee cup all while following a man that seemed like he was running from a fire.

Daryl just needed to get out of there. He felt the anxiety of being around so many people starting to build and all he wanted was ten minutes alone. As he made to leave the classroom when Eugene dismissed them a few minutes early he was followed by Beth. Although she wasn't as fast as Daryl she managed to keep up with him pretty well. Until, another class was let out and they became separated by the sea of students also trying to escape the clutches of hell that Daryl felt the classroom was.

 _What's wrong, Darlina? Girl got ya all worked up?_

Daryl cursed his inner Merle. He had this class twice a week for the next 16 weeks. He was going to have to get over whatever the hell he was feeling.

As he made it to his bike he started to breathe a bit easier. He put his bag of supplies on the bike and pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. He lit up and took in a long drag, holding it a few seconds before slowly exhaling. This was his way of winding down.

Leaning up against his bike he began to think about the class. Overall, it seemed like a fairly straightforward class. The assignments were really about getting an idea on how to manage a business as well as other employees. For the most part Daryl was already running Dale's garage he just didn't do so great with the people skills aspect of the job.

 _Beth._

His mind inadvertently drifted to the blonde that sat so casually next to him. He barely said two words to her but a part of him felt a pull towards her. He wasn't exactly sure why but he wasn't sure he was willing to find out either.

Daryl didn't spend a lot of time around people. He preferred it that way. A lone wolf. Born to run free. Having the ability to pack up and leave any time he wanted. Yet, he hasn't wanted to pack up and leave in a long time. He did enough of that with Merle.

Two brothers against the world. Always having someone there that has your back no matter what. Except, Merle didn't always have Daryl's back. Only when it suited him.

"You ride a motorcycle?!"

Daryl nearly choked on the smoke he was holding in when he heard Beth's voice behind him. He dropped the cigarette to the ground and put it out with the bottom of his boot. He turned towards Beth and noticed how disheveled she looked.

Her blonde hair was a bit frizzy, her stack of papers haphazardly thrown together and her coffee cup appeared to be cracked. Daryl's eyes then travelled from feet to face noticing how she was dressed in a pair of old cowboy boots that led up towards her toned legs that were hiding beneath a summer dress with bright yellow flowers on it that only hinted at what could be hidden. It was a modest cut dress and not very risqué but Daryl suddenly found himself with a dry throat. He of course would say it was from almost chocking on the smoke. His eyes seemed to linger a moment too long on Beth's chest because by the time his eyes met hers she was blushing.

They both seemed to be trying to figure out the other, eyes unwavering as they searched for the hidden door that could potentially reveal something. Some secret to understand each other.

Daryl was the first to break the connection. Shaking his head a little he turned as if to get on his bike.

"Wait! Look, I get that you don't really seem interested in working together but I'd really like it if we did. I don't bite. I promise," Beth said. She was trying to think of something to say that could win him over.

Since the moment she walked into that class and spotted the ominous man she felt a connection with him. She wasn't sure what it was but she wasn't afraid to find out. She was disappointed when he didn't seem too interested in working together as a team but she hoped that by showing just how serious she was about the class that she would be able to convince him to work together.

She was trying to get a read on his thoughts but Daryl was the quiet type. It didn't look like he was going to open up to her about anything anytime soon.

"Please?" she asked.

Daryl was hopeless. He thought he'd be able to just get through this class on his own but it was in the class objectives to work with another person so there really was no reason it shouldn't be the fresh faced blonde. And the way she said "please" was the knife to the gut. He was done for.

"A'ight. We can work together but you better pull your way, girl. I ain't got time to babysit ya." How old was she anyway? She can't be more than a few weeks outta high school. Too young and innocent to be hanging around with him that's for sure.

 _You think she was a cheerleader? Maybe you should see if she wants ya ol' brother to give her something to cheer about. Huh, Darlina? Ya too much of a pussy to do it so I guess I'll have ta do it for ya._

Beth looked offended by his statement, "You don't have to babysit me. I'll do my part if you do yours."

Daryl grunted.

Beth hummed.

They were in a stare off yet again.

"So, do you want to get coffee or something?" Daryl found himself asking without even realizing it.

Beth's face lit up by Daryl's request and his lips started to twitch in response. He liked it when she smiled. Her eyes seemed to light up.

"Yes! That'd be great! We can get a jumpstart on who does what and plan out everything to a tee."

"Ummph," Daryl mumbled under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Where do you want to go?" Daryl quickly asked.

"Oh," Beth was surprised that he wanted to start now, "Umm. Well, there's a coffee place on campus. It's more of a coffee station in the big cafeteria but, umm, yea- there's coffee!" There were also a lot of other students in the cafeteria and Beth knew they wouldn't really be able to focus with everyone around them. Especially, sense Daryl didn't even seem to like being around her. She was only one person!

"I dunno. Prob'ly loud inside."

"Well, we could go off campus but I don't have my car right now so that's tricky." Beth was biting her lip, looking off to the side, trying to think of an idea. Unbeknownst to her Daryl pulled a helmet from the side of his bike and approached her.

She wasn't even aware of what he was doing until Daryl's fingers pulled her chin around to face him. At that moment, Beth stopped breathing. Not staring into her eyes Daryl placed the helmet on her head and pulled the strap to the right position. He was completely focused on the task that he didn't realize how close he was to her. They were only separated by inches.

When he was done with the strap his eyes drifted down and locked on hers. Blue met blue and held. His eyes fell to her lips.

"Daryl?" Her voice came out breathy and questioning and that seemed to snap him back into action. He grabbed her papers and put them in his bike bag and then swung one leg over the side of his ride.

Stunned Beth stood their gaping life a fish trying to catch her breath and slow her heart.

"Come on, girl. Ain't got all day."

"I have to be back in an hour," Beth had another class she couldn't be late for. She hated being late.

Daryl nodded and Beth approached the bike. She'd never been on one before and wasn't sure if it was all that safe but she didn't want Daryl thinking she was scared. So she swallowed her nerves and played it off like this was something she'd done a million times over in her lifetime. She pretended the bike was a horse. She'd been on plenty of horses. She rode Nelly back home any chance she had. She just had to swing one leg over and she'd be fine.

And she did! As she got adjusted to the seat she made sure there was a bit of space between her and Daryl. But when he kicked the bike into action and the bike moved forward a bit Beth found her front pressed to Daryl's back, arms entwined around his center and her face hidden in his angel winged vest.

She felt a vibration under her face and she knew it had nothing to do with the bike coming to life. The last thing she heard before they left that parking lot was Daryl's deep voice swishing passed her ears among the wind.

"S'okay. I got ya."

And as scared as she was she really wasn't worried. She felt like she was in safe hands. How crazy was it to get on the back of a stranger's bike after only just meeting them? If her sister knew what Beth was up to, she'd be dead. Well, Daryl would probably be dead first. So at least that was semi-comforting. If it happens to one it happens to both. Maggie would just have to accept that Beth wasn't a kid anymore.

Beth had the sudden feeling that she'd have to prove that to Daryl at some point too. She wasn't a girl, she was a woman!


End file.
